The display of icons and background settings, such as wallpaper, on display screens of electronic devices is well known. On large display screens, such as those used for personal computers, the display of desktop icons can usually be manipulated by the user (e.g., using drag and drop techniques) such that the icons and the wallpaper can be readily viewed together. However, in some cases, the quantity of icons used to indicate shortcuts to programs, electronic folders, software applications, files, and so forth may be such that the icons can impede viewing of the more important aspects of the background setting.
The likelihood of icons impeding view of a display screen's background is even greater on small display screens, such as those used in wireless devices. An exemplary wireless device 101 illustrating, this point is shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the wireless device 101 includes a display screen 103, a user interface (which may include a two-dimensional rocker key 105, buttons 107, keys, a scroll wheel, and/or other conventional user interface devices), and an optional camera 108. The display screen 103 displays a background setting 109 (in this example, a man typing at a computer) and multiple icons 111-122 (twelve shown). As is known in the art, the icons 111-122 may represent applications loaded onto the wireless device 101, functions of the wireless device 101, shortcuts to applications, files, data, or various other information. As can be readily discerned from FIG. 1, the icons 111-122 substantially cover the background setting 109 and impede viewability of the background setting 109, especially the more important areas of the background setting 109, such as, in this case, the man's face or head.
Viewability of an electronic device's background setting may also be impeded by windows opened on the display screen during execution of one or more applications. Such a scenario is depicted in exemplary form in FIG. 2 for the wireless device 101 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, an application window 201 is displayed on top of the background setting, 109 of the wireless device 101. In FIG. 2, the application window 201 is clear, enabling the background setting 109 to be viewed for the most part. However, if the application window 201 was colored (as is often the case), viewability of the background setting 109 would be severely impeded due to the overlay of the application window 201 upon the background setting 109.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated alone or relative to other elements to help improve the understanding of the various embodiments of the present invention.